Nevada commission votes to ban TRT from combat sports
Feb 27, 2014, 9:17 PM | Updated: 9:18 pm
On Thursday, in what will go down as one of the biggest turning points in combat sports history, the Nevada State Athletic Commission unanimously voted to ban Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT) from all combat sports.
In the past, fighters who had a legitimate medical reason for the treatment were granted Therapeutics Use Exemption (TUE).
But over the course of the last few years, the treatment became one of the most controversial topics in combat sports. Allegations of fighters taking TRT during training camp — in order to gain the testosterone level of 21-year-old man — were running rampant.
Fans and fighters quickly began to question whether the performances of fighters who received an exemption were due to a great camp or merely an affect of the TRT usage.
This groundbreaking decision from the NSAC will be statewide, which includes users who have already received a TUE in the past.
The biggest impact from this ruling will most certainly come from upcoming title fight between UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman and Vitor Belfort at UFC 173 in May.
Belfort, who is coming off one of the most impressive years in UFC history, has become the poster boy for the anti-TRT movement. At 36 years old, an age most fighters begin to ponder retirement, Belfort has been on a career resurgence, as he rattled off three headkick knockouts in 2013 en route to earning his spot as the top contender for Weidman’s 185-pound title.
With Belfort’s upcoming title shot scheduled to go down at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, N.V., it will be interesting to see how the Brazilian performs without a TUE.